MINUTES FOR THE REGULAR BUSINESS MEETING OF THE WHITFIELD COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS HELD MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2024, AT 6:00 P.M. AT THE COURTHOUSE BOC MEETING ROOM LOCATED AT 205 N. SELVIDGE STREET REGULAR BUSINESS MEETING The Chairman called the meeting to order. Roll call to determine quorum. The following members were present: Jevin Jensen, Chairman Barry' W. Robbins, Vice-Chair Robby Staten, Member John Thomas, Member Greg Jones, Member Invocation conducted and Pledge of allegiance to the Flag. Others Present: Robert Smalley, County Attorney Robert Sivick, County Administrator Department Heads Citizens Press Motion was made by Commissioner Robbins and seconded by Commissioner Staten to approve the agenda with the following change - postpone item #21 - Acceptance of Dedication of Right of Way Deed. The motion was approved 4-0, with Commissioners Staten, Robbins, Thomas and Approval of Minutes: Motion was made by Commissioner Robbins and seconded by Commissioner Staten to approve the October 14, 2024 Regular Business Meeting minutes as presented. The motion was approved 4-0, with Commissioners Staten, Robbins, Thomas and Jones in agreement. Chairman Jensen recognized Ms. Stephanie Burch as the Employee of the Month for September Chairman Jensen presented Mr. Jose Fernando Espinoza with a Meritorious Civilian Award for Bravery for his extraordinary acts of courage in an emergency situation where he reentered. a Chairman's Report: Chairman Jensen congratulated the newly elected and re-elected officials. Jevin also noted that on November 30 the County will have a Christmas Tree lighting event at 6:30. Jensen further noted that the Board of Commissioner set the millage rate to 5.556 mills taking the full rollback for the fifth year in a row. Jensen also noted that the Board will hold two budget workshops on Jones in agreement. 2024. Ms. Burch works at the Fire Department. burning house to save this elderly grandparents. November 12 &13 at the Administration Office at 201 S. Hamilton St. Report from County Administrator: County Administrator Robert Sivick noted that Tire Amnesty Day was a success with a total of 1400 tires collected. Sivick also noted that on November 25, the Gratefull Thanksgiving lunch will be held September 2024 Financial Statements: Motion was made by Commissioner Robbins and seconded by Commissioner Jones to approve the September Financial Statement as presented by Chief Financial Officer Debbie Godfrey, Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) collections: September collections of $1,212,453 were 5.01% less than budgeted collections of $1,276,363. This was 4.94% less than August collections of $1,275,433. YTD collections of $11,381,439 were 42% less than PY collections of $11,429,509 for the same time frame. TAVT collections: September collections of $407,510 were 15.7% less than August collections of $483,416. YTD collections of $4,333,171 were 6.63% greater than PY collections of $4,063,922 for the same time frame. YTD actual revenues of $34,293,704 were more than projected revenues of $33,893,776 by $399,928 or 1.18%. YTD actual expenditures of downtown. Page 10 of6 MINUTES FOR THE REGULAR BUSINESS MEETING OF THE WHITFIELD COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS HELD MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2024, AT 6:00 P.M. AT THE COURTHOUSE $47,035,009 were more than projected expenditures of $46,800,124 by $234,885 or up by .5%. Actual September 30 ending fund balance = $22,024,014. The motion was approved 4-0, with Commissioners BOC MEETING ROOM LOCATED AT 205 N. SELVIDGE STREET Staten, Thomas, Jones and Robbins in agreement. Public Comment: Darryl Long addressed the Board about the need for more parking downtown. Michael Atkins requested that the Board consider a Medium density single-family residential (R-3) City of Dalton Annexation - parcel 12-184-01-035: Motion was made by Commissioner Thomas and seconded by Commissioner Staten for no land use classification objection to tax parcel number 12-184- 01-035. The motion was approved 4-0, with Commissioners Staten, Jones, Thomas and Robbins in Rezoning Recommendation: Motion was made by Commissioner Jones and seconded by Commissioner Robbins to approve the recommendation of the planning commission approving the request of Miguel Arredondo to rezone from Rural Residential (R-5) to General Agricultural (GA) a tract of land totaling 7.434 acres located on Airport Road, Dalton, Georgia. Parcel (12-322-32-000) with a condition - that no commercial poultry operations be permitted on the subject property. The motion was approved 4-0, with Commissioners Staten, Robbins, Thomas and Jones in agreement. Rezoning Recommendation: Motion was made by Commissioner Robbins and seconded by Commissioner Jones to DENY the recommendation of the planning commission denying the request of Michael and Leta Atkins to rezone from Low-Density Single Family Residential (R-2) to Rural Residential (R-5) a tract of land totaling 1.58 acres located on Johnson Road, Dalton, Georgia. Parcel 12-101-01-032). During the public comment portion of this meeting Mr. Atkins requested to the Board of Commissioners to consider al Medium density single-family residential (R-3) zoning, which they approved. The motion was approved 4-0, with Commissioners Staten, Robbins, Thomas and Jones in Rezoning Recommendation: Motion was made by Commissioner Robbins and seconded by Commissioner Staten to approve the recommendation of the planning commission approving the request of Raul Bibiano to rezone from General Commercial (C-2) to Rural Residential (R-5) a tract of land totaling 0.88 acres located at 2751 Old Tilton Road, Dalton, Georgia. Parcel (13-059-05-000). The motion was approved 4-0, with Commissioners Staten, Robbins, Thomas and Jones in agreement. Rezoning Recommendation: Motion was made by Commissioner Robbins and seconded by Commissioner Staten to approve the recommendation of the planning commission approving the request of Hollis Holdings, LLC to rezone from General Agriculture (GA) to Planned Unit Development (PUD) a tract of land totaling 14.62 acres located on Cleveland Hwy, Dalton, Georgia. Parcel (11-313- 31-000). The motion was approved 4-0, with Commissioners Staten, Robbins, Thomas and Jones in Rezoning Recommendation: Motion was made by Commissioner Robbins and seconded by Commissioner Staten to approve the recommendation of the planning commission approving the request of Austin King to rezone from Single Family Residential (R-2) to General Commercial (C-2)a tract of land totaling 3.91 acres located on' Welcome Hill Circle, Dalton, Georgia. Parcel (12-214-08- 000). The motion was approved 4-0, with Commissioners Staten, Robbins, Thomas and Jones in zoning rather than Rural Residential (R-5). agreement. agreement. agreement. agreement. Page 2 of6 MINUTES FOR THE REGULAR BUSINESS MEETING OF THE WHITFIELD COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS HELD MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2024, AT 6:00 P.M. AT THE COURTHOUSE BOC MEETING ROOM LOCATED AT 205 N. SELVIDGE STREET Rezoning Recommendation: Motion was made by Commissioner Robbins and seconded by Commissioner Staten to approve the recommendation of the planning commission approving the request of Lixandro Ramirez to rezone from Rural Residential (R-5) to Suburban Agriculture (SA) a tract of land totaling 6.5 acres located at 421 New Zion Hill Road, Dalton, Georgia. Parcel (12-355-01- 002). The motion was approved 4-0, with Commissioners Staten, Robbins, Thomas and Jones in Rezoning Recommendation: Motion was made by Commissioner Robbins and seconded by Commissioner Staten to approve the recommendation of the planning commission approving the request of Scott Anthony Sides to rezone from Rural Residential (R-5) to General Agriculture (GA) a tract of land totaling 25.47 acres located at 3349 Oscar Nance Road, Tunnel Hill, Georgia. Parcel (11- 285-01-203). The motion was approved 4-0, with Commissioners Staten, Robbins, Thomas and Jones Rezoning Recommendation: Motion was made by Commissioner Robbins and seconded by Commissioner Staten to approve the recommendation of the planning commission approving the request of Tanya and' William Vasbinder, Jr. to rezone from General Agriculture (GA) to Suburban Agriculture (SA) a tract of land totaling 7 acres located at 5468 Blair Road, Cohutta, Georgia. Parcel (11-015-11-000). The motion was approved 4-0, with Commissioners Staten, Robbins, Thomas and Rezoning Recommendation: Motion was made by Commissioner Robbins and seconded by Commissioner Staten to approve the recommendation of the planning commission approving the request of Daniel and Louise Wise to rezone from General Agriculture (GA) to Low Density Single Family Residential (R-2) a tract of land totaling 10.04 acres located on Tucker School Road and Hopewell Road, Cohutta, Georgia. Parcels (11-090-02-000 and 11-090-06-000). The motion was approved 4-0, with Commissioners Staten, Robbins, Thomas and Jones in agreement. Approve Purchase Agreement of Real Estate for Tharpe Building: Motion was made by Commissioner Robbins and seconded by Commissioner Jones to approve entering into a purchasing agreement for building at 225' W. King Street, Dalton GA across from courthouse for $1.2 million. Due diligence will occur between now and February to inspect building. County has option to cancel agreement based on findings. The motion was approved 4-0, with Commissioners Staten, Robbins, Appointment- = Board of Tax Assessors: Motion was made by Commissioner Staten and seconded by Commissioner Jones to appoint John Carmichael to the Board of Tax Assessors. Currently one opening on the Board of Assessors. Mr. Carmichael will fill the remainder of Robert Chiddester's term, which will expire on September 26, 2029. The motion was approved 4-0, with Commissioners Staten, ARC Connectivity Plan Approval: Motion was made by Commissioner Thomas and seconded by Commissioner Staten to approve the connectivity plan as presented. County Administration requests BOC approval of the Connectivity Plan that was developed through a grant from Connect Humanity and the Appalachian Regional Commission. Connect Humanity is still reviewing the plan document but any changes they might request would not be material. The plan will be an integral part of the County's discussions with internet service providers (ISP's) as they apply for broadband infrastructure funding. Only ISP's are eligible for the first round oft this funding, called Broadband Equity, Access, and agreement. ina agreement. Jones in agreement. Thomas and Jones in agreement. Robbins, Jones and' Thomas in agreement. Page 3 of6 MINUTES FOR THE REGULAR BUSINESS MEETING OF THE WHITFIELD COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS HELD MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2024, AT 6:00 P.M. AT THE COURTHOUSE Deployment (BEAD). The Georgia Technology Authority (GTA) has released some preliminary information about (BEAD) and the application window should be opening very soon. The motion was approved 4-0, with Commissioners Staten, Thomas, Robbins and Jones in agreement. ARC READY Grant Application and Support: Motion was made by Commissioner Jones and seconded by Commissioner Robbins to approve the grant application and for the Chairman to sign the letter of support. County Administration requests BOC approval and support of the appliçation for the Appalachian Regional Commission's READY Local Governments Grant Program. Earlier this year, County Administration was selected for the READY Local Governments federal grant training program, at no cost to the County. Due to the successful completion of this program, the County is now eligible for a $50,000 grant to address internal capacity challenges. County Administration has selected a project that will provide leadership and management training for key employees. No match is required. The motion was approved 4-0, with Commissioners Staten, Thomas, Robbins and Jones in agreement. ARPA Expenditure Approval Buildings & Grounds and Human Resources: Motion was made by Commissioner Staten and seconded by Commissioner Robbins to approve ARPA funds for the BOC MEETING ROOM LOCATED AT 205 N. SELVIDGE STREET following: Up to $32,500 from unrestricted funds for unbudgeted chiller and CO detector repairs at the $20,000 from restricted funds for a one-year contract for Employee Assistance Program The motion was approved 4-0, with Commissioners Staten, Thomas, Robbins and Jones in agreement. Ratify Senior Center Grant Application: Motion was made by Commissioner Robbins and seconded by Commissioner Staten to ratify the application for the DHS Senior Center Innovation and Modernization Grant for 2024-2025 which is offered by the Thanks Mom & Dad non-profit. No match is required. If awarded, the Sr. Center would receive up to $1,500 to purchase the required training and equipment for the Drums Alive Golden Beats exercise program. This would be the first offering of the program int the NW Georgia area. This program uses music to encourage movement as the participants keep the beat on their "drums". The motion was approved 4-0, with Commissioners Staten, Thomas, Juvenile Court - 2024 Grant Acceptance: Motion was made by Commissioner Staten and seconded by Commissioner Jones to accept the FY 2024 Delinquency Prevention Grant in the amount of $41,960.00. This grant provides continued funding for the implementation of SFP 7-17 to youth who are first time offenders, diverted from the juvenile justice system, or charged with a CHINS offense and identified as at-risk. Juvenile Court has been awarded $41,960, with no County match required. The award period is October 1, 2024- September 30, 2025. Awarded agencies will be eligible for continued funding through September 30, 2025. The motion was approved 4-0, with Commissioners Staten, Engineering - MOU with GDOT for New Road Maintenance: Motion was made by Commissioner Robbins and seconded by Commissioner Jones to approve the Memorandum of Understanding with GDOT for acceptance of the Cove Drive Extension onto the County road system when complete. GDOT is constructing a newi frontage road on the West side of the Norfolk-Southern rail line in the Carbondale community. The project is fully funded by State and Federal dollars. The road will connect Redwine Cove Rd. to Eber Rd. and is known as the Cove Drive Extension, PI#0013095. The project will close the rail crossings at Postelle and Henry Owens roads. The residents along these roads will be able to travel along the new frontage road north to Redwine Cove Rd or south to Eber Rd, where full Health Department building which is owned by the County. services which is separate from the County's health insurance plan Robbins and Jones in agreement. Robbins, Jones and Thomas in agreement. Page 4of6 MINUTES FOR THE REGULAR BUSINESS MEETING OF THE WHITFIELD COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS HELD MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2024, AT 6:00 P.M. AT THE COURTHOUSE safety equipment is in place, to cross the tracks. When the road is complete, GDOT will transfer the right-of-way to Whitfield County for future ownership and maintenance. The motion was approved 4-0, ARPA ChattanoogaNorthwes: GAI Food Bank Repairs: Motion was made by Commissioner Thomas and seconded by Commissioner Staten to approve the expenditure of $46,471 to Momon Construction for these repairs. This invoice is for the first phase of repairs of the cooler/freezer unit at the Chattanooga/NW Ga. Food Bank. The work was performed by Momon Construction of Calhoun, GA. The motion was approved 4-0, with Commissioners Staten, Thomas, Robbins and Jones in Finance - Kronos Update: Motion was made by Commissioner Robbins and seconded by Commissioner Jones to approve $46.000.00 for the UKG upgrade. HR, Finance and Payroll all rely heavily on UKG for daily operations. The current software package version will be going end-of life and support at the end of 2025. We have looked at other timekeeper software in the past, but the cost of changing out the time clocks and the cost of integrating with FIR and Finance show there are no savings. We are requesting this now because the upgrade to their cloud-based system (only option) will take between 10 and 12 months to complete. We need to get on the upgrade schedule now to be able to complete this before the end of 2025. The UKG cloud ensures that we will always be on the latest version of their software. This will also free up County IT resources (Server and storage). The motion was approved 4-0, with Commissioners Thomas, Robbins, Staten and Jones in agreement. Finance - Audit RFP Award: Motion was made by Commissioner Staten and seconded by Commissioner Robbins to award RFP to Rushton, LLC for audit services based on proposal evaluation by committee made up of 5 members. Technical and pricing proposals were evaluated separately BOC MEETING ROOM LOCATED AT 205 N. SELVIDGE STREET with Commissioners Staten, Jones, Thomas and Robbins in agreement. agreement. based oni the following: 1-understanding & approach 2-Audit team credentials 3-Firm's background and experience 4-Proposed schedule & work plan Technical area = 80% of overall score Pricing = 20% of overall score. After the evaluating each firm and checking their references, Rushton, LLC scored the highest of the seven firms reviewed by the committee. Each committee member was satisfied with this choice. This firm has offices in GainesVille and Alpharetta. The motion was approved 4-0, with Commissioners Thomas, Robbins, Staten and Jones in agreement. PUBLIC COMMENT: Karen Roark spoke about an issue at McGaughey Chapel Road. Janice Williams and Dana Dufrey addressed the Board about Animal Control in' Whitfield County. Jason Burnette, Brian Spence and Brandon Harrison addressed the Board about the Subdivision Regulations. Daryl Long commented that we should all spay and neuter our pets. Page 5of6 MINUTES FOR THE REGULAR BUSINESS MEETING OF THE WHITFIELD COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS HELD MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2024, AT 6:00 P.M. AT THE COURTHOUSE Executive Session - Real Estate & Potential Litigation: Motion was made by Commissioner Robbins and seconded by Commissioner Staten to go into executive session for the purpose of Real Estate and Potential Litigation. Present for the meeting were Chairman Jevin Jensen, Commissioners Robbins and Thomas, County Attorney Robert Smalley, County Engineer Kent Benson, Chief Financial Officer Debbie Godfrey and County Clerk Blanca Cardona. The motion was approved 4-0, with Motion was then made by Commissioner Robbins and Commissioner Staten to come out of executive session. The motion was approved 3-0, with Commissioners State, Jones and Robbins in agreement. BOC MEETING ROOM LOCATED AT 205 N. SELVIDGE STREET Commissioners Staten, Jones Thomas and Robbins in agreement. ADJOURN Unanimous CHAIRMAN OF COMMISSIONERS Banolnlm BLANCA COUNTY CLERK pA CARDONA, DAT/21970024 Page 6 of6